Hokage
The Hokage (火影, literally meaning: Fire Shadow) is an honorific title given to the village leader of Konohagakure. The Hokage is generally considered the strongest shinobi in the village, but also the most respected ninja that devotes his life to the wellbeing of its nation and inhabitants. There have been currently 7 Hokage in the history of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Overview
The Hokage title was created shortly after the creation of Konoha by Hashirama Senju, one of the founders of the village. He intended to give the title to his co-founder, Madara Uchiha, but the people of the village chose Hashirama as the first Hokage.
Madara feared that Hashirama’s selection was the first step in making the Hokage office an extension of the Senju clan’s authority, a fear that Hashirama denied. Despite this, all the Hokage in the village are somehow traced back to Hashirama: the second was his brother; the third was his pupil; the fourth was the pupil of one of the third’s pupils; the fifth is his granddaughter and another pupil of the third; the sixth was a pupil of the fourth; the seventh is a pupil of the sixth and the son of the fourth.
Related article: Who is the strongest hokage?
Hokage Rock
The Hokage Rock (火影岩, Hokage-iwa) is a mountain overlooking Konohagakure that has all the faces of the Hokage carved into the stone
Once they have taken office as Hokage, their faces are carved into the Hokage rock and they usually move into the Hokage residence. The Hokage office is located in the administrative section of the Academy.
Duties
The Hokage are responsible for most of the day-to-day business of the village, such as assigning village ninja to missions or obtaining funds for village projects and staff. The Hokage spend most of their time in the village, only travelling abroad for events of vital importance to Konoha.
Each Hokage generally lives by the will of the fire, a philosophy that considers Konoha to be a family and the Hokage to be primarily responsible for protecting that family. The workload of the Hokage can be quite considerable and as such, retired Hokage may continue to oversee parts of the village or, if not, advise the current Hokage upon request.
Succession
Hokage usually choose their successor. If they die or are otherwise incapacitated, the next Hokage is chosen by the daimyō of Tierra del Fuego with the advice of his committee, the Konoha Council, the Jōnin Commander and a representative of the Anbu. This choice must then be approved by the jōnin of Konoha.
If one of the Hokage’s predecessors is still alive, he may return to power rather than choose a new Hokage, as when the third Hokage came out of retirement after the death of the fourth. The inauguration of the Hokage is a major event in Konoha, and is attended by most of the village. The new Hokage is given a ceremonial haori for this occasion; the same woman embroidered the haori for the seven Hokage.
List of all the Hokage
1st Hokage (Shodai Hokage) – Hashirama Senju
The First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village was Hashirama Senju (千手柱間, Senju Hashirama), a member of the famous Senju clan and literally considered as the “Shinobi God” for his unparalleled ninja prowess.
Hashirama sought peace for the shinobi world, and to this end founded Konoha with his clan, his childhood friend and rival: Madara Uchiha and the Uchiha clan.
He would later become the first Hokage of Konoha, the Shodai Hokage (初代火影, literally meaning: First or Founding Fire Shadow). Although he failed to bring peace during his lifetime, his legacy and worldview will continue to shape the village and the entire shinobi world even after his death.
2nd Hokage (Nidaime Hokage) – Tobirama Senju
The Second Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village was Tobirama Senju (千手扉間, Senju Tobirama), a member of the famous Senju clan who, along with his older brother and the Uchiha clan, founded the first shinobi village: Konoha.
Throughout his life, Tobirama worked tirelessly to achieve political stability and establish the institutions that made the village system work, ensuring the continuity and prosperity of Konoha.
After his brother’s death, he succeeded to the title of Second Hokage (Nidaime Hokage) and became the leader of the village.
3rd Hokage (Sandaime Hokage) – Hiruzen Sarutobi
The Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village was Hiruzen Sarutobi (猿飛ヒルゼン, Sarutobi Hiruzen), a disciple of the village’s previous two Hokage who became a powerful ninja, hailed as a “God of the Shinobi”.
Although he was never directly the master of the Sannin, generations of shinobi benefited from his wisdom during his lifetime.
4th Hokage (Youndaime Hokage) – Minato Namikaze
The Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village was Minato Namikaze (波風ミナト, Namikaze Minato).
He was famous in life for his speed, which earned him the nickname the Lightning of Konoha.
He died during the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox, sacrificing his life to seal part of the Nine Tails into his newborn son, Naruto Uzumaki.
5th Hokage (Godaime Hokage) – Tsunade Senju
The Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village was Tsunade Senju (千手綱手, Senju Tsunade), a descendant of the Senju clan, one of the Sannin of Konoha, known as the strongest kunoichi in the world and the greatest doctor-nin.
The repeated loss of her loved ones caused Tsunade to develop a paralyzing fear of blood and she subsequently abandoned the shinobi life for many years.
She is finally persuaded to return to Konoha and take up the mantle of 5th hokage (Godaime Hokage), where her skills prove invaluable to the village.
6th Hokage Candidate – Danzō Shimura
Danzo Shimura (志村ダンゾウ, Shimura Danzō) was an elder of Konohagakure who was raised as a Ninja alongside is former teammate Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As the founder and leader of Root, Danzō gained notoriety from The Darkness of the Shinobi due to his frequent unsanctioned actions and his often suspected (but rarely proven) undermining of certain Konoha personnel.
Despite his decades of suspicious actions, Danzō only ever acted in what he believed to be the best interests of the village. He was appointed the sixth Hokage candidate after Pain’s assault on the village.
Is Danzo a Hokage?
No, unfortunately for Danzo, he did not become a Hokage as he died in battle against Sasuke Uchiha at the samurai bridge before he was officially inaugurated into this position.
6th Hokage (Rokudaime Hokage) – Kakashi Hatake
The Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village was Kakashi Hatake (はたけカカシ, Hatake Kakashi), a shinobi of the Hatake clan of Konohagakure.
Known as Kakashi of the Sharingan, he is one of Konoha’s most talented ninjas; he is regularly sought out for his guidance and leadership despite his personal aversion to responsibility.
To his students in Team 7, Kakashi teaches the importance of teamwork, a lesson he received from Master Minato Namikaze.
When does Kakashi become a Hokage?
After the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kakashi Hatake became the sixth Hokage (Rokudaime Hokage) of Konoha In episode #479 of Naruto Shippuden.
7th Hokage (Nanadaime Hokage) – Naruto Uzumaki
The Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village is Naruto Uzumaki (うずまきナルト, Uzumaki Naruto), a shinobi from Konohagakure.
He became the jinchūriki of Nine Tails on the day he was born, a fate that caused him to be shunned by most of Konoha throughout his childhood.
After joining Team Kakashi, Naruto worked hard to gain recognition from the village while pursuing his dream of becoming Hokage.
In the years that followed, through many trials and hardships, he became a capable ninja considered a hero by both the villagers and, soon after, the rest of the world, becoming known as the Hero of the Hidden Leaf.
When does Naruto become a Hokage?
Naruto became recognized by all inhabitants of the Hidden Leaf Village as their leader and become the village’s seventh Hokage (Nanadaime Hokage) after he proved to be one of the main factors in the victory of the Fourth Shinobi World War, thus fulfilling his dream that he pursued since he was a child.
His crowning as Hokage can be seen in episode #18 “A Day in the Life of the Uzumaki Family”
of the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Who is the current Hokage?
Naruto is still currently the last Hokage of Konoha, but we may see that change in Boruto, the story of his son.
Who is the 8th Hokage?
From what we know at the moment, Konohamaru Senju could soon become the 8th Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, but it’s still not the case as Naruto Uzumaki still offices as 7th Hokage.
Who is the 9th Hokage?
Most fans think that the 9th Hokage could be Sarada Uchiha as she’s already the necessary qualifications to become Konoha Village leader after Konohamaru.